Sunday, March 22, 2009

He left us on March 19, 2009. There will be a service at the Wharfinger building on March 29, 2009 from 2-4 PM. Ralph was the shift millwright on my crew for years. Whenever I had a mechanical breakdown, Ralph was there to save the day. No job big or small seemed to faze him and the pulp mill was saved many hours of production through his knowledge of repairing antiquated equipment. Nobody at the mill ever had a bad thing to say about Ralph. He had been ill with pancreatic cancer. He attended his last union meeting about a month ago to say hello/goodbye to his co-workers. You just cannot replace a man of this caliber.Obituaries -Ralph Lightner

9 comments:

Jeff Clark
said...

Those of you, who did not know Ralph, will have missed knowing a man of great talent, wit, and compassion for others. He was very inventive in his craft and was respected by his fellow Millwrights.We, who have known Ralph, will always remember a very good man.

Very sorry to hear about Ralph.I knew and worked with him for many years. His father was my lead operator when I first started at the mill, it was easy to see where Ralph drew from for his character and ethics, he will be missed.

Ralph was a great man that I'll always remember. So kind and quiet, he was happy just listening to me and laughing. Being one of the younger guys at the Mill, Ralph always lent a word of advice and cared enough to take an interest in my life. I'll always be thankful for that. Not only was he a kind person but he was an incredible millwright. As saddened by his passing as I am, I'm just as thankful that I got to know him and can say he was a friend.

He was my Grandfather as well, and this Saturday will be two years since his passing. There has not been a single day that has gone by where I didn't feel his presence in my life. He's still taking care of each and everyone of us even from above. His fight was one I will never forget. He was the strongest man I knew, and I never thought anything could knock him down. Life is so precious, and he taught me that. I love you Grandpa, we all miss you so much. Thank you for continuing to protect and provide for us.